Maybe first place wasn't a bad idea
by condescending advice
Summary: [The followup story to 1st place isn't exactly the best]Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke have finally decided to get together after many trials of their love. But 2 years after, Sasuke's dark secret is revealed to his girlfriend.[SasuSaku?]Au
1. Chapter 1

_Shinha Dojinshi presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu X Saku fic**_

**Before we begin…**

This is the follow-up story to '1st place isn't exactly the best'. I've decided to start another story since a)I don't have anything to do, b)My editor doesn't have anything to do and c)I wanted to see if this continuation of the story would ever work out. So…

**!Let's begin!**

All seemed well between the newly found couple. They would spend a lot of their time together just talking and the like, but as time went on, Sakura started having a unsettling feeling brewing from within her. She decided to think about her unsettling feeling while she lay awake in bed at 3:00 in the morning.

"Why…do I feel so weird about me and Sasuke-kun together?"

She rolled over in bed and closed her eyes so she could try to get some sleep.

-Hm…I don't know. Do you like someone else?-

Sakura could have beaten herself up.

"No! Of course not!"

-Are you sure?-

This time, she let the thought sink into her head before considering an answer.

'…_Do I?'_

It was very silent while she began pondering about what could ever make her feel this way.

"Was it something I did? Or maybe it's something that Sasuke-kun did…"

She rolled over to look at the picture of her and Sasuke sitting neatly on her bedside table. It was one of those pictures that always made you smile or made you reminisce about good times. The picture depicted Sasuke giving Sakura a piggyback ride while she smiled into the camera. Sasuke was looking bitter, as usual, and didn't even try to smile at all.

'_Maybe I'm over thinking things…even though I don't even know what I did!'_

-To hell with it, Sakura! Just get to bed already! Tomorrow's Saturday. You don't want to miss that, do you?-

"No," she mumbled under her breath before dozing off.

Sakura woke up abruptly when she heard a hard knock on her door. She hastily got up to see who was responsible for disturbing her. She opened the door and saw Sasuke standing blandly in the doorway.

"Ohayo sleeping ugly."

Sakura tried to ignore his comment as she yawned loudly.

"Ohayo Sasuke-kun."

She invited him in for tea before he started making fun of her bunny covered pajamas.

"So, Sakura-koi."

"Uh-huh"

"I've been thinking…"

Sasuke always had bad news whenever he said that certain phrase. Sakura could only assume what he was going to say was going to be very negative news.

"...And?"

Sakura was highly anticipating his answer while she got the kettle of hot water off of the stove.

"Well…my father had come to visit to see how I was doing…"

"So…?"

Sasuke looked down at his shoes hesitantly before answering.

"I'll be leaving for America in a while."

Sakura's jaw fell.

"WHAT?"

Sasuke tried to calm the pink haired girl down.

"Calm down already! It'll be fine!"

He took hold of her shoulders and shook her lightly. She looked at him bewildered as she spoke.

"But what about your friends…and your condo building…?"

Sakura paused before adding on another important question she had in her mind. Her little add-on was barely even a whisper.

"…what about…us?"

Even though she had whispered the sentence, Sasuke's acute hearing picked up on it. His eyes started to portray a look of worry.

"I don't know Sakura-koi…but it'll be fine…"

Sakura refused to let her boyfriend see her cry yet again.

'_He'll probably laugh at me if I cry right here….and to think that I was worrying if I liked someone else!'_

A tear fell down her pale cheek and she brushed it away rapidly before Sasuke could catch her crying. Sakura held onto Sasuke tighter as he hugged her. It seemed like forever before any of them spoke.

"Uh…Sakura-koi?"

Sakura looked up into Sasuke's dark eyes.

"What?"

Sasuke held his hand up to the back of his head nervously.

"Uh…I have to get back to work now."

Sakura let go of him swiftly and he blushed deeply. Sakura laughed at her boyfriend's coyness toward her.

"You're so shy!"

She reached up and planted a soft kiss on his cheek and he turned beet red.

"I'll see you later, okay Sakura-koi?"

Sasuke stepped out into the hallway hurriedly before Sakura could ridicule him more about becoming a romantic unexpectedly whenever he was around her.

'_Baka Sasuke-kun! Why'd he get a girlfriend if he knew that he'd have to stop being so shy around me one of these days?'_

She sat herself down on the couch after she shut the door. She let her head rest upon one of the pillows.

"I should forget about this whole dilemma…"

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes tiredly.

"I wonder where I'll go today. Should I go to the mall? Or maybe Ino-chan's house?"

-What about TenTen's house? We haven't been there in a while.-

"We just went there a couple of days ago to plan Sasuke-kun's surprise birthday party!"

-Oh, right.-

Her brain started spitting out possibilities of where to go.

"We can't go to Sasuke-kun's house this early. He always comes home at about 7 on weekends."

-What about Temari-chan's house?-

"She's all the way in Hong Kong right now!"

-Who says we can't take a plane?-

Sakura's brow furrowed as she tried to think out more possibilities.

-Hm…maybe Hinata-chan's house?-

Sakura's eyes brightened up.

"That's right! She's not doing anything to do today!"

The thought of her boyfriend ever leaving the country was swept clean from her mind and she got ready for her trip to Hinata's house. She got out of her pajamas and changed into something proper. Sakura was so happy that she even decided to walk to Hinata's house, which was about 10 blocks away.

-You better pour it on Sakura! We're going to take forever if you constantly stop to talk to people!-

'_Oh please! I just want to take my precious time!'_

Sakura grinned to herself as she waved at a group of people that she had met at school.

-Well…time is of the essence! What if something cool is happening over at Hinata-chan's house!-

'_Almost nothing happens at Hinata-chan's house!'_

She hummed to a tune that was playing over and over in her head as she walked the rest of the 5 blocks to her friend's house. When she had knocked on Hinata's door, the coy girl poked her head out from behind it curiously.

"Ohayo Hinata-chan!"

Sakura smiled at her lavender-eyed friend who was looking at Sakura with confusion.

"O…hayo Sakura-chan…"

Hinata kept the door opened just enough for herself to be seen as Sakura tried to peer inside.

"Are you busy right now, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata tried to block out what was happening on the inside of her house as she spoke.

"Uh…n-no…Sa-sa…Kura-ch-chan…"

The Hyuga was the color of Sakura's hair and Sakura could obviously tell that she was lying. Hinata's timid-ness had given her away.

"Oh…okay, Hinata-chan."

Inner Sakura - Fine! Go ahead and lie to me!

Hinata closed the door slowly as her friend walked away.

'_Baka Hinata-chan! I was so hyped up to go to her place and she just hangs me out to dry! I bet that she's in there with her Naruto-kun!'_

Sakura was furious and she let almost every person who waved to her know it. All the people that she knew waved at her sweetly, and all she did was glare at them annoyingly. It wasn't until her favorite ramen shop came into view that she finally cooled down.

'_Ooooo! Ramen would be perfect right about now!'_

She casually walked up to the glass door of the restaurant and smiled to herself.

'_I'll just get a quick pick-me-up and head back home.'_

She pushed the door open and the familiar ring of a bell had signaled her entrance. Sakura looked around and saw strictly couples sharing large bowls of ramen at their tables.

'_I wonder if Sasuke-kun would ever be scared to eat here with me.'_

She turned walked past a door wide door that separated one part of the restaurant to another and sat down at the nearest booth.

'_(sigh) Ramen is just what I need… '_

Sakura closed her eyes as she breathed in deeply. She slumped back against the seat in her booth and laid back.

'_I wonder what Sasuke-kun's doing right now.'_

Her eyes snapped open when a familiar fragrance hit the air.

'_Something…smells like Sasuke-kun.'_

Sakura searched the area curiously as she tried to i.d. the person who held the same scent that lingered on her boyfriend's clothes.

-Who in their right mind would walk around here smelling like Sasuke-kun? All the girls would be all over that person in mere seconds!-

'_I don't know…'_

She loosened up a bit when she couldn't find anyone who would seem like another duplicate of Sasuke.

'_I must be thinking too much…'_

Then, she heard a familiar voice from behind her booth.

"…right. So master Uchiha has been put into a previous engagement with another girl? At the age of eight?"

'_What?'_

Sakura stiffened as she stealthily turned around to peer into the table behind her booth. Once she could finally see the person who had just spoken, she saw that Sasuke had been there with her. He was sitting across from someone who looked like his father. His father was talking to someone who was dressed in a butler's suit made of fine black silk.

-Who ever heard of silk butler's suits?-

'_Oh shut up!'_

Sasuke's father paused before speaking again.

"The boy is engaged to a girl from the Matarashi clan. I believe you've served under her family for a couple of years?"

Sakura took in a brief breath of air to calm herself before listening further to their discussion. She saw the butler move in to whisper something into his master's ear. Sakura desperately tried as best as she could to hear what he was saying.

"But isn't…? The mistress is…kind of older than the young master, isn't she?"

Sasuke's father chuckled at his servant's statement.

"I don't care! Just as long as I get the money that was promised before the engagement!"

Sakura turned around and leaned on the side of the booth as she closed her eyes.

'_So…he's engaged to another girl, is he?'_

She seemed calm on the outside, but inside she was dying to get up there and choke her boyfriend.

'_What a bakayaro…'_

She sighed as she heard Sasuke finally speak out. He spoke with his usual monotonous tone of voice.

"And what if I don't want to get married to this 'mistress'."

His father answered back with rage leaking from every word.

"You're going to have to! Don't you want to go to America to expand your large empire that your mother left you?"

'_So that's why he's going to America…to go marry some other rich girl!'_

Sakura couldn't see Sasuke's face, but she had an inclination that he had shut up to stop causing his father more grief. But his father was still bent on hurting his feelings.

"I don't know why your mother gave most of the profit to you! Why not me? I was her husband after all!"

Sakura registered this statement as an insult to Sasuke's pride.

-What a gold digging bastard!-

She listened further to see whether Sasuke would say something back, but he obviously didn't want to provoke his already pissed off father. Then, as if to cut off all the tension, their butler spoke.

"So, what is it you want me to do, sir?"

"That Matarashi woman will be coming here for the wedding in a couple of months. But knowing her father, he'll probably send her in a year or two. He just wants to stall me!"

"But sir, the Matarashi mistress sent a request to be prepared in a couple of months. She said that she wanted to get married to the young master on March 28."

Sakura felt herself slip deeper into depression.

'_Great! They're getting married right on my birthday!' _

-Boy are you really lucky!-

'_I don't care anymore! Sasuke-kun's getting married to some other girl! I just guess that I'm of no use to him anymore…'_

Sakura got up and carefully slipped outside to breathe some fresh air. She must have been allergic to some of the food being served there since her eyes started to water and she was sniffing uncontrollably. Large tears welled up in her eyes and she willingly let them hit the floor as she walked the long path to her condo.


	2. Chapter 2

_Shinha Dojinshi presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu X Saku fic**_

**Before we begin…**

Now, bolded text will represent Inner Sakura speaking…okay?

**!Let's Begin!**

'_I don't care anymore! Sasuke-kun's getting married to some other girl! I just guess that I'm of no use to _

_him anymore…'_

_Sakura got up and carefully slipped outside to breathe some fresh air. She must have been allergic to some of the food being served there since her eyes started to water and she was sniffing uncontrollably. Large tears welled up in her eyes and she willingly let them hit the floor as she walked the long path to her condo. _

Sakura couldn't take it anymore. The following day after she had discovered Sasuke's engagement secret, she went crazy trying to find out who he was going to marry. She looked in records of who ever worked for her father or mother, but not one page of those record books revealed someone with the last name 'Mitarashi'. She even tried asking Sasuke if he knew anyone under that surname without trying to tell him that she knew his deep secret. He kept quiet most of the time when he visited her at the usual time he always did. Sakura had offered him tea like always and he just talked about how his day went. He obviously left out the part about telling her about his engagement…

Sakura looked up at her boyfriend, afraid that he could read her mind like an open book.

'_Maybe he can read my mind right now…'_

She looked up at him again and he gave her an honest smile.

'_How can he smile at a time like this?'_

Sasuke finally decided that the silence wasn't going to last long and tried to start a conversation.

"So…Sakura-koi…what did you do today?"

She smiled at him briefly while trying to hold her doubtfulness from pouring out.

"Oh, I went to go see Ino-chan at the hospital. She said that she's going to be okay soon."

Sakura tried to make her story more convincing by nodding and smiling at him, but her nodding came off as too forced and her smile still left a trace of worry. Sasuke set down his tea and twiddled his thumbs a bit before responding.

"Uh…Sakura-koi?"

'_What did I do wrong now?'_

"Uh…huh?"

Sasuke took in a deep breath before proceeding with his statement.

"…Ino-chan got out of the hospital two days ago."

'…_Oh…shit.'_

Sakura slapped her forehead angrily and Sasuke shot her a glare. He stood up violently and turned to her.

"I knew it! You were lying to me!"

"Sasuke-koi! I'm not lying to you!"

Sakura tried to seem as innocent as possible before her boyfriend ripped her to shreds in her own apartment.

"Then where were you, huh?"

He glared at her more fiercely and she couldn't help but shrink back in her chair. She refused to keep eye contact with him while she replied.

"I was just here!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

Sasuke took a step forward and Sakura tried to back up against the back of the chair. He kept on advancing on her until she was backed up against the wall. She was terrified about what he was going to do to her.

"What are you doing?"

Sasuke drew back his fist and Sakura clenched her eyes closed as she braced herself for the impact. She flinched when she felt the movement of his fist pummeling toward her. Instead, his fist came in contact with the wall behind Sakura. She tried to keep her tears in while her boyfriend spoke.

"Sakura-koi…were you seeing…someone else?"

Sakura was taken by surprise. She shook her head and he grabbed her wrists forcibly as he forced her to look at him eye to eye.

"Don't lie to me."

"I wasn't!"

Sasuke finally let go of her wrists and a spark of rage ran through her body. She looked at him angrily and he just stared back at her with his usual blank demeanor. Sakura opened her mouth to speak and he raised his eyebrows at her. He turned around to leave before another word was spoken.

"I'm not allowed to lie to you, Sasuke-koi. But you're allowed to lie to me?"

The Uchiha turned around and looked at her confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Sakura could have cried. There he was right in front of her and lying to her face!

"WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT! WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TALKING ABOUT?"

It was Sasuke's turn to act threatened because Sakura advanced on him and all he did was back up against the wall.

"I heard that you're engaged to another girl!"

Sakura crossed her arms and tried to avoid eye contact with the bewildered Uchiha. He seemed pretty shocked since he didn't speak a word for the long silence that followed Sakura's outburst. Sakura could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she tried to hold them back just until Sasuke left. Sasuke straightened up his facial expression before trying to plead his case.

"So…it was you that was in the restaurant that day Sakura-koi."

"Wh-why d-didn't you t-tell me that you were getting married?"

Sakura managed to spit out her sentence while holding back tears.

Sasuke let the thought sink in before replying.

"… (sigh) Because I didn't want you to get hurt."

Sakura let a tear roll down her rosy cheek and the tear was followed by more tears.

"Either way…I would've gotten hurt."

Sasuke smirked and put his arms around Sakura, who freely cried on his shoulder.

"You should just go on and get married to that Mitarashi girl…"

Sasuke held her tighter and he leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"Remember one thing Haruno…you're mine. You got that? If I don't manage to slip out of this, you better wait for me."

Sakura couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"Great…I have a seriously possessive boyfriend now."

He kissed her on the forehead and left without saying another word.

'**Sasuke-koi can be really weird sometimes…'**

Sakura sat herself down on the couch, but a loud knocking came from her door. She got up hastily and pried the door open. Standing before her was Sasuke's butler who was present at the discussion of Sasuke's engagement.

"Uh…can I help you?"

"Presenting, Miss Mitarashi Anko."

'…_Huh?'_

A girl wearing a loose raincoat appeared before Sakura. Her hair was tied up in a bun and she was fanning herself slightly with a jewel encrusted fan while chewing on a piece of gum very obnoxiously. She had an arrogant look about her and her eyes covered by darkly tinted sunglasses gave Sakura the impression that she had been on her last nerve for the last 10 years already. Sakura managed to spit out a word to signal that she was even there beside her.

"H…hello?"

It came out as more of a question than a greeting and Anko seemed to have taken Sakura's 'greeting' as an insult. She spoke back with a sour tone.

"Look, I don't have time to talk to folk such as you. I'm just here to see if my Sasuke-koi is still here."

It pained Sakura to hear someone else call Sasuke 'Sasuke-koi'. But she had to bear with it for the time being.

"Well…he just left."

Anko finally looked at Sakura in the eye seriously and pulled down her sunglasses to look at her more clearly.

"Excuse me?"

Sakura hesitated slightly before repeating her statement.

"He left."

Anko rest her sunglasses back on her nose and began to chew her gum again as she spoke.

"WELL."

"Well…what?"

The black haired girl looked like she was about to knock Sakura out.

"Go and get him!"

Sakura stared at her slyly.

"How about you get him yourself?"

Anko pouted immaturely.

"Because I'll ruin my shoes. Duh!"

'_What a total bitch!'_

Sakura heaved a sigh and counted backwards from ten.

'_I hope this'll be over soon, I hope this'll be over soon!'_

Nothing seemed to contain Sakura's anger and it leaked out into what she said.

"Well, you're the boyfriend stealer, so I guess that you can go find him!"

There was a bittersweet silence between the two girls as they glared at each other viciously. Anko opened her mouth to speak,

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Anko and glared at her more fiercely.

"You're going to get married to Sasuke-KOI, am I right?"

Sakura added more emphasis on the '-koi' part and Anko nodded as Sakura proceeded with her point.

"Then I guess that you didn't hear about me from my boyfriend."

The black haired girl sneered.

"Obviously not. Who are you anyway."

"Haruno Sakura, at your service."

"I'm Mitarashi Anko. You must've heard about me through Sasuke-koi."

Sakura snickered.

"Nope, not a thing."

"But I've certainly heard tons of things about you."

'_What is she talking about?'_

"Huh?"

"Well, I'd think that you knew that you were a well-known fashion model!"

"Yeah I do but-"

"Save it! I'm going out to go look for my Sasuke-koi!"

Anko scurried down the hall with Sasuke's butler at her heels. Sakura slammed the door shut and fell onto the couch tiredly.

'_I already had enough problems thank you very much…'  
_

She buried her face into a throw pillow and refused to look up until Sasuke sent her a telepathic message that he was playing a huge joke on her and he had hired some random actor to play that snooty girl that had just visited her. She knew that it would never happen, but she still refused to look up.

'_Stupid marriage arrangements…I wish that you would just burn in hell!'_

All was quiet for a while until the phone above her head rang. She stuck out her arm and answered it in a solemn tone.

"…What do you want?"

A bubbly voice could be heard from the other end of the line.

"Hi Sakura-chan!"

Sakura could easily identify who was speaking to her.

"Hey Naruto-kun…"

Naruto replied in a babyish tone.

"What's wrong eh?"

"My whole life…"

Sakura listened to Naruto babble on while she kept her head buried deep into the pillow. He seemed to be talking about nothing until he brought up a very peculiar topic.

"Eh, Sakura-chan. Have you ever wondered if Sasuke-teme liked another girl?"

Sakura managed to raise her head out of the pillow as she thought out a reply.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well…because I saw him and another girl at a restaurant and she was holding his hand at their table."

'_So she's been here before huh?'_

"If I tell you a really big secret, would you keep it Naruto-kun?"

"OHH! I LOVE SECRETS!"

'_That must be a yes…'_

"Okay…well Sasuke-koi's engaged to another girl…and he obviously knows that I know about it."

"WHAT! Do you want me to beat him up for you, Sakura-chan?"

"No. It's alright…I guess."

Naruto was bewildered by Sakura's answer and replied with disbelief.

"But, why Sakura-chan?"

"Because it's his family's thing and I don't want to get in the middle of that."

"Doesn't he care though?"

"Of course he does!"

"Then why doesn't he do something about it?"

"Well…I don't know, okay?"

Naruto sighed and Sakura tried to act cool about it. She put on her cheery voice and tried to say something that would get Naruto off her case.

"I just know that Sasuke-koi will find a way to get out of it. So don't worry about it, okay?"

"If you say so nee-chan…"

"That's a good boy."

'_If only what I said was actually true…'_


	3. Chapter 3

_Shihna Dojinshi presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

**_A SasuXsaku fic_**

_Naruto sighed and Sakura tried to act cool about it. She put on her cheery voice and tried to say something that would get Naruto off her case. _

"I just know that Sasuke-koi will find a way to get out of it. So don't worry about it, okay?"

"If you say so nee-chan"

"That's a good boy"

'If only what I said was actually true'

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"Er…Sakura-chan?"

A sandy blonde haired girl observed the feelings exuding from the young woman standing in front of her from her sitting position. Her pastel locks were swaying in the air as the salty breeze of the sea winded its way through her hair. The pink haired girl breathed in deeply while her innocent green eyes scanned the landscape about her. Tears had fallen from her face and onto the dampened sand bellow her unbeknownst. She turned around upon hearing her name being called out through the cool air.

"What is it, Ino-chan?"

Her empty green eyes were fixated on Ino, who was playing with the strap of her sandal. Ino cleared her throat nervously as Sakura raised an eyebrow anxiously awaiting an answer.

"Well, I brought you to the beach so you could enjoy yourself. Instead, you're fussing over that stupid boyfriend of yours!"

Sakura parted her lips slightly and her reply was a silent whisper.

"…he's not stupid."

Ino couldn't believe that the once strong Sakura has fallen into a million pieces because of one little discrepancy in her whole entire life. She was bound to run into relationship problems with her boyfriend, despite the fact that there were plenty of girls anticipating the date on which they would magically be in Sakura's position. Ino had hoped that things would've picked up a week after Sakura had met Sasuke's future bride-to-be. She grinned as she decided to further pester her friend.

"What did you say? I didn't quite catch that."

Sakura grimaced and closed her eyes. Her voice rang out clearer than before as she spoke.

"He's not stupid."

Ino's grin broadened further.

"Why am I not convinced?"

Sakura clutched her arms tightly as she opened her eyes again to look at the cascading sunset. She too, had a grin on her face.

"I know what you're doing Ino-chan. So just drop it, okay?"

Ino's grin fell slightly and she glared at Sakura's slouching figure.

"Well, you should be enjoying yourself! Did you check out that guy that was staring at you before? He was pretty cute!"

Sakura looked at her friend from the corner of her eye and replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Not as cute as Sasuke-koi..."

The pink haired girl played with a pile of semi damp sand at her feet. Ino got up and stood beside Sakura as she kicked down the sand pile.

"You gotta get your mind off of him for a second, alright?"  
Sakura bent down to rekindle her little pile of sand with the tips of her delicate fingers.

"…why is that?"  
Ino was taken aback a bit as she further interrogated her.

"Do you think that he's really going to try and get out of this whole predicament? I mean-"

Ino was interrupted by a sharp glare from Sakura. Her eyes bore into Ino's eyes like knives while she quickly tried to clean up the verbal mess that she had just started.

"Uh…I mean, of course he's going to try and get out of it. But, I mean…what if he doesn't?"

The pink haired girl shook her head with disdain and her coral hair swayed in the wind more violently. She motioned for Ino to come and sit next to her in the sand as the approaching tide licked at her openly exposed feet. As Ino squatted next to her, Sakura's gaze fell toward the waves before her as her pink locks fell over her face.

"I know what you mean. My faith in Sasuke is shot as well."

Ino closed her eyes all-knowingly and sat down.

"Heh. Well, I didn't mean it in that way, Sakura-chan!"

"Well, that's what you've been trying to tell me, right?"

The following silence confirmed that Ino was too timid to tell Sakura that her observations were true. Sakura refused to let Ino slip out of her fingers without knowing what she thought of her whole situation. She looked at Ino more sharply and all Ino could do was cower under her stare.

"Am I right, Ino-chan?"

Ino nodded and looked at Sakura begrudgingly.

"Ugh, I hate it when you pry stuff out of me. You're completely deadly when you do that, you know?"

Sakura rose to her feet and turned away from her friend as she pulled on her shoes. She picked up her bag and headed to the nearby road.

"Yeah, I know that," Sakura said as she walked away.

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Sakura clutched her cell phone anxiously waiting for it to show any signs of ringing.

_'Sasuke-koi…why haven't you called me yet?'  
_  
She flipped it open and dialed his number yet again. A steady beeping from the other line signaled that the line was still busy.

_'His line's been busy for the past hour already'_

**Inner Sakura: I bet he's talking to his stupid future wife!**

Sakura shook her head distressingly and tried to shake that thought out of her already clouded mind. Her head had been spinning ever since she had met up with Sasuke later that day. She wasn't able to think straight and she twiddled her thumbs continuously while she watched her cell phone. Occasionally, she would look around her apartment or open her door to look out into the hallway just in case Sasuke was coincidentally strolling around. But despite her wishes, her cell phone didn't ring and he wasn't in the hallway any of the 1000 times she must've checked. She was starting to get worried.

_'I wonder where he could be. It's raining like crazy out there!'_

Sakura paced back and forth numerous times before she finally grabbed her coat and headed to the most likely place he would be.

_'He must be at the sakura tree…where we had first really got to talk to each other...'_

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Sasuke leaned against the tree before him while his dark eyes fell toward the ground. His messy raven hair was soaked and his clothes were heavily drenched.

"…remind me why I'm here again," he thought aloud to himself.

His thoughts were a big mess ever since his meeting with Sakura. He didn't know what to think anymore know that she had…

_'Wait, what am I thinking? Why have I been so stupid?'  
_  
He shook his head and brushed the hair out of his face while he remained under the tree for shelter from the rain. His usual stoic face housed a slight frown and his eyebrows were furrowed. In the distance, he could hear footsteps advancing toward him quickly. Sasuke immediately regained his posture and tried to determine who was running toward him so anxiously through the think sheets of rain.

"Sasuke-koi...?"

He recognized that delicate voice. It was Sakura.

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Sakura ran toward the shadowy figure ahead of her. Her estimation was correct and Sasuke was there, patiently awaiting her possible arrival at the sakura tree. How long he had been waiting, she didn't really know. She called out his name again before she further approached him.

"Sasuke-koi...?"

The figure before her made its way toward her. As Sasuke came into view, he nonchalantly placed his hands in his pockets and nodded in acknowledgement that he had heard her call his name.

"Why are you out here in the rain?"

Her voice was filled with concern for him, but he tried to ignore the fact that she was the one who had made him actually feel emotional pain for the first time in his lonely life. He looked away irritated and further tried to get her mad on purpose, "Why do you care so much anyway?"

Sakura's head fell to a bow and her deep feeling of guilt was present on her features.

"I'm sorry if what I said offended you earlier, Sasuke-koi."

She grinned up at him earnestly and he desperately tried to contain the part of him that wanted to smile back at her.

"Well, you didn't. So why are you here?"

His words made her voice falter a bit as she spoke. His bitterness had always affected her greatly, but his words now had hurt the most.

"…uh…well I was looking for you and-"

"And you already found me. Get to the point."

She dared to look up at him in the eye and she saw that he wasn't in the mood for playing any games.

_'Did I really hurt him that bad?'_

"I'm sorry for what I did to you. I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore…Sasuke-k-…un..."

Sasuke tried to resist taking in her apology, so he shook his head with disdain.  
"I don't accept your apology. Just leave me be."

"But I didn't know what I was saying! Please! Just forgive me!"

"…hn."

Sasuke turned around and Sakura opened her mouth slowly. Her eyes were closed and she was clutching Sasuke's hand without even knowing that his hand was laying in hers ever so lightly.

"Yes, I would marry you..."

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**Authors note:  
**  
What the heck is this chapter talking about you ask? I don't quite know yet exactly….but you'll find out sooner of later, mmkay? By the way…if you haven't already noticed, I've changed my writing style around a bit. It makes the writing on my part more fun!Review please!  
-Shinha-


	4. Chapter 4

_Shihna Dojinshi presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

**_A Sasu X saku fic_**

_Sasuke tried to resist taking in her apology, so he shook his head with disdain._

"_I don't accept your apology. Just leave me be."_

"_But I didn't know what I was saying! Please! Just forgive me!"_

"…_hn…"_

_Sasuke turned around and Sakura opened her mouth slowly. Her eyes were closed and she was clutching Sasuke's hand without even knowing that his hand was laying in hers ever so lightly._

"_Yes, I would marry you…"_

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Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he snatched his hand back from the tight grip of hers. He spun around quickly and held onto her shoulders firmly.

"What did you say, Sakura-koi?"

Sakura responded with an empty gaze. Her memory was hazy and she suddenly was having flashbacks from the time she had left the comforts of the sandy beach…

**F L A S H B A C K**

_Sakura glanced back at her friend Ino while she walked back home, where she knew that she would be comforted by her boyfriend who would be patiently awaiting her there. She sighed as an immense group of storm clouds rolled in from the west and tainted the sky a dark gray. _

"_Just my luck," she sarcastically whispered to herself._

_The rain poured down on her head and she didn't quite care. She was almost at her condo building anyway. As she ascended the steps leading to the lobby, she found it very awkward that she hadn't seen Sasuke's car parked near the front where it usually remained when he visited her. She carelessly never gave it a second thought and proceeded to the elevator._

'_I wonder if Sasuke-koi's going to be late today'_

_She occasionally checked her watch while the elevator ascended to her floor. As the doors opened, she absentmindedly weaved her way through the corridors of the hallways. When she had nearly turned the corner to her apartment door, she heard voices of people speaking in a hushed tone._

"…_but Sasuke-koi! I was expecting to get married sooner!"_

'_Sasuke…?'_

_Sakura hurriedly took cover behind the wall in front of her and cautiously listened in on their continuing conversation._

"_Didn't I just tell you that I was too young in the first place? Just leave it alone Anko-san."_

"_But Sasuke-koi! I really like you."_

_Sakura could tell by Anko's voice that she had started to advance on him with lust seeping from her every word. Soon, she heard the thumping sound of Sasuke's back hitting the wall behind him. She had obviously backed him up against a wall and was attempting to lock lips with him. But if she really did try to attempt it, Sakura obviously wouldn't permit it._

"_Anko-san-"_

"_Call me Anko-koi…I like it better when you say my name like that."_

_Anko answered back more lustfully as Sasuke's stutters confirmed his immense desire to not be in that situation. But no matter how nervous he was, he would have to remain calm for what Anko was about to do next. She clutched his hair forcefully and crushed her lips into his. For all Sasuke knew, she was basically eating his face. _

_Sakura could hear yet another loud thumping noise as Sasuke was pushed up against the wall with a tremendous amount of force. She couldn't take it any longer and came out from her hiding place. Sakura nervously clutched her hair and advanced toward Anko, who was apparently cutting off Sasuke's air. _

"_What are you doing with Sasuke-koi?"_

_Sasuke was finally able to push Anko away and muttered a quick," stupid bitch," as he attempted to put a great amount of distance between them. All Anko did was wipe the smothered lipstick from her face and grab Sasuke's wrist while Sakura drew back her fist._

"_Listen here, 'Sakura', Sasuke-kun's getting married to me. There's no denying that."_

_Anko glared back at the pink haired girl and clutched Sasuke's wrist tighter. Sasuke looked as if he could die any moment now. His dark eyes were looking over at Sakura with a look of apology kept sealed within them. He caught her gaze for a second and looked away hurriedly._

"_Sa-Sasuke-k..un…"_

_Sakura attempted to lock her eyes with his, but he refused to look up at her. Anko smirked as she noticed the tears gathering in her eyes. She tried yet again to call his name._

"_Sasuke-koi…"_

_Sakura could tell that it pained him to hear her call his name with such hurt in her voice. He finally broke free from Anko's tight grip and caught Sakura in a tight embrace. He whispered in her ear lightly as she desperately tried to hold back tears._

"_I've had you for two years already. I'm not letting you go so easily."_

_Anko's reaction was one of utmost rage. Her fists were balled up and her knuckles started to turn white. She stared at the poor little Sakura who had Sasuke standing by her side with a glare on his face. She advanced toward her with and ugly expression on her features. All the pink haired girl could do was cower a bit under her indignant glare as Anko stood right in front of her demandingly._

"_What do you think you're doing with my Sasuke-koi?"_

_Sakura answered back in a small voice._

"_He's not yours."_

_Anko felt threatened as Sakura's confidence began to blossom greatly._

"_Well he's not yours either you stupid little Sakura!"_

"_He's probably twice your age anyway!"_

"_I'm not that old you little twit!"_

"_You could have fooled me!"_

_Both girls were glaring at each other intensely as the yelled at each other. Neither one of them was backing down and Sasuke finally decided to interrupt the proceeding fight. He stared at Anko sternly as he forced them apart._

"_Anko-san, you need to back off. This whole engagement thing was just some stupid idea my father wanted. It's not something that I wanted to follow through with."_

_Anko showed no signs of reprimanding herself, so she went further with the argument._

"_The only reason why you're saying that is because that bitch is still alive! I bet if she wasn't famous, you wouldn't even like her!"_

"_That's not true!"_

_Sasuke gritted his teeth as his patience was running thin with his 'fiancé'. He glared at her mercilessly as he continued,_

"_I'd never want to marry you."_

"_Then who would you want to marry?"_

_Anko raised an eyebrow as she waited for Sasuke's much-wanted reply. Sasuke grinned at her and without hesitation, he answered back,_

"_Miss Haruno Sakura."_

_Sakura was taken aback as her name crept out of her boyfriend's mouth. Her expression changed drastically. _

_**Inner Sakura: He wants to m-marry…m-me?**_

_All Anko did was pull her hair back forcefully and cleared her face from any expression._

"…_how do you know that she would want to marry you?"_

_Sasuke showed confidence as he turned around to look at Sakura in her immaculate, emerald green eyes. He eyed her suspiciously as Sakura showed a bit of concern on her face._

"_Sakura-koi…?"_

_Sakura hesitated before answering to her name._

"_Y-yes?"_

_Sasuke gulped nervously as he began to word out his question._

"…_w-would you?"_

_Sakura's nerves were on end and her mind was beginning to wander relentlessly._

"_Would I…what?"_

_Anko interrupted and his voice cracked through the silence like a whip._

"_No playing games you ditzy model! I-"_

_Sasuke put his hand over Anko's mouth in an attempt to shush her as he stared at the pink haired girl more intensely."_

"_Sakura!"_

"_W-what?"_

"_Would you marry me?"_

_Sakura stayed rooted to the spot, but her inner self was telling her to get out of there quickly._

"…_Sakura…?_

_Sakura's legs finally got the message and she ran in the direction of the elevator in a swift attempt to escape this horrid situation. As she neared the elevator doors, all she could hear was Anko's atrocious laughing ringing in her ears._

_It must've taken Sakura at least an hour just to gather up the courage to go back to her apartment and call Sasuke…and when she did, she received no answer, for he was talking on the phone with Anko._

**E N D O F F L A S H B A C K**

Sasuke shook Sakura more violently as he tried to get her to answer him.

"Sakura! What did you just say?"

"Uh…"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke's dark eyes momentarily before fully replying with confidence mixed in with her delicate voice.

"You heard what I said."

Sasuke let go of her and his arms fell limp to his sides. He shook his head solemnly and turned his back toward her.

"…it's too late now, baka."

Sakura stared at his back questioningly.

"What do you mean Sasuke-koi?"

"While you were being busy trying to make a damn decision, I confirmed with Anko-koi that we would get married…and I promised that I wouldn't back out."

Sakura twitched when she heard him call her 'Anko-koi'. She gingerly reached out to hold his hand, if only for a second. As she grabbed his hand hesitantly, he tightened his grip on her hand and she bowed her head down.

"I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I won't be at your wedding…"

Sakura gently released his hand and continued to walk away. Sasuke called out to her loudly,

"I'm sorry as well, Sakura-chan…this is goodbye."

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"Cheer up, Sakura-chan! He was a jerk anyway! Just claiming you like that and saying that he wanted to marry you!"

Ino plopped down on Sakura's bed along with Hinata and TenTen. Sakura had the covers pulled way over her head as Ino tried to force-feed her ice cream. Hinata's shy voice could be heard by the pink haired girl from under the covers.

"Uh…S-Sakura-chan?"

"What is it?"

"I-I think that you h-have to g-get over him. There are p-plenty of other g-guys out there th-that would want to g-go o-out with you."

For once, Sakura refused to heed Hinata's advice and continued to demand that they leave her alone. Then, TenTen tried to take a crack at it.

"Do you want us to call Temari-chan?"

'_Temari-chan would be just the person to call,'_ Sakura thought sarcastically.

"No. I'm fine."

"You are not fine, Sakura-chan!"

Ino pulled back the covers to reveal Sakura's frail frame sprawled out all over the bed. Sakura groaned as she tried to retrieve the blanket from Ino's hands.

"I didn't even ask you guys to come over! How did you know what happened?"

Ino chuckled as she folded Sakura's blanket neatly.

"We heard it through the great vine, Sakura-chan! Now get up!"

"Somehow, I just don't believe you," Sakura answered back tiredly.

"Actually, we just saw him and some stupid bitch on his arm while we were walking around. We just assumed that he dumped you," chimed in TenTen.

Sakura stared at TenTen with a glare and started to protest.

"Gee, thanks TenTen-chan. That makes me feel so much better! Now I'll just have to ignore the fact that he's walking around with some ditz."

Hinata helped pry Sakura out of bed and her curiosity got the better of her.

"Wh-who was sh-she anyway…?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes as she folded her arms.

"His stupid fiancé."


	5. Chapter 5

_ShinhaDojinshi Presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu x saku fic**_

"_Gee, thanks TenTen-chan. That makes me feel so much better! Now I'll just have to ignore the fact that he's walking around with some ditz."_

_Hinata helped pry Sakura out of bed and her curiosity got the better of her._

"_Wh-who was sh-she anyway…?"_

_Sakura narrowed her eyes as she folded her arms._

"_His stupid fiancé."_

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Gasps could be heard all around the room as Sakura looked away defeated. Ino mouthed a silent "no way!" And TenTen clutched Sakura's blanket tensely as she tried to fold it. The silence could have dragged on for hours between the four friends, but Ino's high-pitched voice cracked through the noiseless room like a whip.

"W-what?"

Sakura's narrowed eyes darted toward the blonde. A false smile was pasted on her face.

"You heard me! Sasuke-kun's going to get married to that girl that you saw with him!"

Sakura's hostile look was returned by an indignant glare from Ino.

"You liar…"

TenTen held her arm out in front of Ino to reprimand her. She raised an eyebrow at her pink haired friend as if to ask if it was true. Sakura closed her eyes to avoid eye contact with any of them. Her voice remained calm as she spoke.

"I'm not lying…nor am I kidding. Sasuke-kun's not mine anymore and I've learnt to let him go."

Ino brushed off TenTen's frail arm from her path and advanced toward Sakura.

"Tell me, Sakura-chan. Do you still love him or what? I mean…you guys were together since you were sixteen! It's been two years already…"

Sakura's green eyes fluttered open and she replied with clarity.

"No…no, I don't."

Hinata's lavender eyes held an expression of sadness toward her friend.

"You still do like him, Sa-Sakura-chan…"

Sakura's locks flew from side to side as she shook her head.

"I already told you…I don't have any feelings for that stupid Uchiha anymore."

Hinata's concern grew deeper still. She gulped before proceeding with her point.

"Wh-when Naruto-kun and I broke up…I kn-knew that I still l-loved him. It was just the f-fact th-that I had to g-get o-over him…"

Her eyes were cast downward in her sorrow. But, Sakura's stubborn attitude was still intact.

"I don't love Uchiha Sasuke anymore!"

"LIAR!" Ino's voice shrieked throughout the whole apartment as she pinned Sakura to the ground. Her arm was forcing down on her neck in a hostile attempt to try and cut off Sakura's air circulation.

"I-Ino-chan!"

Hinata gasped in desperation as she and TenTen tried to pry Ino off of Sakura's petite body.

"I-Ino-ch-chan! P-please! Get off of her!"

Hinata's strength wasn't enough to pull her off and Ino continued increasing the pressure on Sakura's neck.

"Ino-chan! Get off of me right now!"

Sakura's attempts to get her off were futile as she struggled more. Instead, Ino tried to persuade her to admit her feelings.

"You still love him! Admit it!"

Sakura's air began to become limited as she writhed around more and more. But still, Ino would not let up. She cried out in pain as her lungs ached for air.

"I…will…not! Sasuke-kun's not my boyfriend anymore!"

Ino pressed down more upon her throat as she continued to shriek at her pink haired friend.

"You…can keep on callin' him Sasuke-koi you baka! He's not that stupid lady's husband **yet**!"

Sakura resisted her still, knowing that she would soon have to yield under Ino's wishes.

"Ino-chan! Get off…me!"

"Not until you admit it first!"

Tears were running down Sakura's cheeks as she finally stopped struggling.

"F-fine…I still love him, alright?"

The blonde finally stepped down and watched Sakura as she gasped for air. Sakura rubbed her neck were it was starting to turn red. All hostility towards Ino subsided as her blonde friend patted her on the back to try and make amends for what she had just done. She chuckled heartily as TenTen tried to take a swing at her.

"I knew that you still had feelings for him. I just wanted you to actually admit to having them. Or else…"

Everyone raised an eyebrow at Ino, who was smiling deviously.

"Or else what?"

"My plan wouldn't have worked!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at her.

"What plan?"

All Ino did was grin back at her as she flipped her hair back.

"My plan to see if you two would still be completely compatible!"

Ino nodded all-knowingly as Sakura gave a heavy sigh.

"Can't you just admit that Sasuke-kun and I aren't going to get back together? Or are you too dumb to notice that yet?"

Ino clucked her tongue at her.

"Well…does that baka Uchiha still return those feelings?"

Sakura looked at her skeptically as she shrugged,"How as I supposed to know?"

Ino just laughed at Sakura's natural naïveté.

"I've already got someone on the job Sakura-chan! Don't you worry your pretty little head!"

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At the ramen bar, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenager could be seen seated beside a stoic-looking boy of the same age. Both had a healthy portion of ramen loaded neatly into a bowl placed in front of each of them.

"So…how're ya…doin'?" Naruto said in between slurps. Naruto couldn't resist slurping up the noodles in front of him before starting conversing with Sasuke.

Sasuke closed his eyes in disgust, but decided to continue with his 'friend's' conversation.

"Hn…"

"Topic…not…interesting enough…for you?"

Naruto glanced at the person seated next to him as a sweatdrop ran clear down his head.

'_Why did Ino put me up to this?' _Naruto thought irritated, _'just do it for Sakura-chan…must do it for Sakura-chan!'_

Sasuke shook his head as he finished up the last of his noodles. Silence followed as Naruto finished his noodles also.

'_This better lead to something or else I'm not doing favors for Ino ever AGAIN!'_

"Er…so…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto as he tried to distract himself by ordering more ramen.

"Uh…you know what really annoys the hell out of me?"

Sasuke turned to look at him, half-expecting Naruto to talk about ramen.

"What is it now?"

"My ex!"

Now, Naruto wasn't really _mad_ at Hinata for breaking up with him. But deep down, he knew that he would still take up the chance to be with her…if he ever got that chance again, that is. His thoughts ran all over the place as he tried to focus on getting the truth out of Sasuke.

"Hn…"

A low mumbling from Sasuke told Naruto not to tread further into that topic, but being the determined-or stupid-person that he was, he did anyway.

"I mean…don't you hate Sakura too?"

He paused to hear his response before proceeding. When nothing was said, he found it safe to continue.

"She's annoying, she nags you a lot, and she's not even that good looking! Plus, she's always clinging to you and she just seems like such a burden!"

Naruto even felt secure enough to throw in a couple of insults toward her right in front of Sasuke. But before he knew it, a fist was thrown and it collided with his left cheek. Naruto was knocked off his seat and landed on the solid ground beneath him.

"Wh-what was that for, Sasuke?"

The blonde haired boy rubbed his already-swelling cheek as Sasuke took a fistful of the collar of his shirt and stared him down. His eyes bore down on Naruto as he whimpered. All he could do to prevent Sasuke from snapping him in half was to tell him that it was all just a set-up…

'_NO! Don't be stupid Naruto!'_

He could imagine Sakura's sad expression as he had pictured it when he was on the phone with her a while back. He just couldn't let her down now, could he?

There was silence, and then Sasuke's expression let up a bit.

"Don't talk about Sak-," Sasuke seemed shocked at what he was about to say, and he didn't let it slip any further,"…don't talk about _girls_ like that, Naruto-teme."

He let go of Naruto's wrinkling shirt and left him there on the floor. He exited the ramen shop without another word to walk around a bit, perhaps?

"Baka Sasuke…always trying to show me up!"

Naruto got up and dusted himself off as his mouth formed into a childish grin.

"Well, at least I didn't have to get beat up _too_ bad to find out the truth! What a sucker!"


	6. Chapter 6

_ShinhaDojinshi Presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu x saku fic**_

_There was silence, and then Sasuke's expression let up a bit._

"_Don't talk about Sak-," Sasuke seemed shocked at what he was about to say, and he didn't let it slip any further,"…don't talk about girls like that, Naruto-teme."_

_He let go of Naruto's wrinkling shirt and left him there on the floor. He exited the ramen shop without another word to walk around a bit, perhaps?_

"_Baka Sasuke…always trying to show me up!"_

_Naruto got up and dusted himself off as his mouth formed into a childish grin._

"_Well, at least I didn't have to get beat up too bad to find out the truth! What a sucker!"_

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All was quiet between the four friends scattered around Sakura's apartment. TenTen was pacing back and forth in the living room as she tried to distract herself with her darts. Ino and Hinata were sitting at the kitchen table, trying to keep busy. Silence was present, except for a soft sobbing coming from the mouth of Sakura. She was neatly tucked away in her bedroom, eyes overflowing with tears.

'_I don't even know why I feel so nervous…I already know that Sasuke doesn't…,'_ Sakura paused between sobs, _'l-l…love me anymore.'_

She hesitated before stepping out of the comforts of her cozy bedroom. As she entered the living room, all heads turned to stare at Sakura's frail figure trying to walk through the hallway, which now seemed a mile long. Sakura kept her head bowed down to hide her depression, but she could tell that her friends saw through her thin mask. Hinata helped her into a chair and all eyes were on her.

"Were you crying?"

Sakura turned to TenTen who held out a dart to her. Sakura faked a smile and tried to answer back in her 'cheery' voice,

"Pssht! As if! Haruno Sakura doesn't cry for anybody!"

Even though Sakura played off her sorrow, everyone knew the truth. She threw the dart, and for the first time in her life, it was way off from the center. She sat down and pretended that it had hit the middle, like always.

"So, anyway. Anyone up for tea? Or do you want to go out for sushi or something?"

Apparently, Sakura was the only lively one in the whole room, even though she was faking it. As she turned to all of her friends, she could obviously read the pity mixed in with their facial expressions. Her smile then slowly formed into a frown as a slight knocking could be heard at the front door.

Sakura jumped up from her seat and grinned at Ino, who in turn, gave her another grin back, thinking that it was Naruto at the door with the information he had just found. She hesitated a bit before unlocking the door and turned the knob. The person who was at the door was someone that she hadn't hoped it would be. Her slight smile uncurled itself to form a straight line upon her lips. A cold breeze forced its way into the apartment and it sent chills down her spine. The moment seemed to be frozen in time as the two stared each other down. Hinata, TenTen and Ino could be scrambling into the view of the open door in the background. The silence was broken by Sakura's soft voice,

"What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?"

Her empty gaze was returned by a glare that reminded her of the first time they met at the arcade. The love toward her that those onyx eyes once held seemed to be diminished with only a couple of days apart. Suddenly, his eyes softened and a smile was placed on his handsome face. Her heart melted as his grin broadened when she blushed.

"Sakura-chan…" Sasuke blushed a bit as he gulped. It was yet another re-enactment of when he had asked her out for the first time. But even though the mood was set to a joyful one, he knew what he had to tell her…

In Sakura's head, all thoughts of him being engaged to someone else were pushed to the back of her mind. A warm feeling was summoned from deep within her and brought a deep red tint to her face.

"What is it, Sasuke-…", dare she say it?

She paused, then feeling an ounce of security while looking up at his grinning face, added, "-koi?"

Even though she thought this would bring a smile to his face as well, she was surprised to see a sad look instead of his smile. And as if to add to the discomfort that Sasuke was feeling, TenTen started clutching the darts in her hand more tightly. He decided to end it quickly, before any more harm could've been inflicted upon Sakura.

"Hm? What's wr-"

Before she could continue, he captured her lips in his and Sakura blushed as they both shared an intimate kiss.

'Awws!' could be heard all over the living room of the apartment as Sakura's friends squealed as if they were taken back to when they were sixteen.

When they both let go of the kiss, Sasuke held out a bouquet of daffodils to her, trying to restrain the heat rising to his cheeks the whole time. Sakura took them gratefully, but before she could thank him, Sasuke's warm voice suddenly turned ice cold.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. Anko-koi's decided to get married in America."

'_Damn woman won't make up her mind,'_ Sasuke thought bitterly.

Then, it hit the pink haired girl. She automatically thought that he was here to stay.

Yet, he only came to visit her to say goodbye.

His last_ final_ words…

He had only softened the blow a bit so she wouldn't act so irrationally when he broke the news to her. It was all just a setup…and Sakura definitely fell for it. Her head fell to gaze down her shoes immediately after the words finally registered in her brain.

"Y-you…didn't come here to tell me about a broken engagement…did you?"

Sakura found it hard to spit out the words, even though in her mind, she was shouting them loud and clear.

Sasuke shook his head and mouthed a simple 'no'.

"You…lied to m-me…"

The majority of her words got caught in her throat as she struggled to hold back her incoming tears. But, in her head, she _had_ expected this to happen, even though she had been hoping and wishing that her foreshadowing wasn't correct. But, her worst nightmare had unraveled itself directly in front of her: Sasuke leaving her forever.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sasuke held out a hand to shake Sakura's shoulder gently. She swatted it away violently and he took it as an incentive to not lay a finger on her.

"What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

"N-noth-thing."

'_Oh god! I'm stuttering more badly than Hinata-chan!'_ Sakura thought awkwardly.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded her head and in the process, let her tears flow from her eyes.

Sasuke's expression softened and he frowned.

"…don't cry Sakura-chan…"

He wrapped his arms around her gently and her tears fell more freely from the prison in which they had been kept. Sasuke patted her head supportively and kissed her forehead.

"I didn't mean to act like such a jerk before…This whole thing is just a mess!"

Sakura summoned up the courage to lay her head on his shoulder as he tightened the embrace. It took them back to when they had first fallen in love. The moment played over and over in her head, and she was starting to regret it.

**Inner Sakura: …why did I ever have to meet this stupid jerk!**

She frowned and Sasuke caught the change in her expression as he watched her while laying her head on his shoulder.

"I don't want to just up and leave you in a situation like this…but my step-father wouldn't be so 'pleased' if I backed out now."

Sakura's frown only deepened and he yet again, took note of it.

"But remember Haruno Sakura…"

He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him, attempting to add depth to his words.

"…_you_ are my true bride."

The slight downward curve in her lips finally formed a smile, and the heat rising to her cheeks made her turn a deep red. Sasuke loosened the hug and gave her a light kiss…probably for the last time. But before she could chase him down the hall, he had disappeared.

As Sakura stood there dumbfounded, her friends started moving around again. They slowly sat her down in a chair and Hinata picked up the bouquet of flowers that Sakura had dropped absentmindedly. Her gaze seemed to be fixated on the door, half-expecting Sasuke to burst in and yell "Psych!" But instead, there was no knock at the door or turning of the doorknob. She sat as still as a statue as her friends bustled about. They ran around making tea, preparing food and tidying up a bit. Occasionally, they would pause in between their duties to pat Sakura on the head and give some comforting words as if she were a child who was left alone in a corner. It was only when Hinata fully sat down to talk to her that she replied with actual words.

A solemn,"He's gone…" came out of her mouth.

Hinata hung her head with sadness as she silently agreed.

"He is…but you shouldn't be worrying about that now. Be grateful of what you have, Sakura-chan."

Not one word Hinata had said made any sense to her. She was wandering around blindly in her thoughts ever since_ he_ had left. All seemed hopeless without Sasuke there beside her…

Ino waved a hand in front of her face and snapped at her a couple of times to get her attention. When Sakura finally snapped out of it, Ino had a smug look on her face.

"You've been like that for hours already. Are you okay?"

She turned to Ino and _tried_ to answer her question, but no words came to mind.

"Y-yes...? I mean…no…?"

Sakura stuttered helplessly and looked at the expressions placed on her friends' faces.

"Ugh…I don't know!"

She slumped back in her chair and TenTen stared at her viciously.

"Why don't you just get over that baka? He was such a jerk!"

"He wasn't _such_ a jerk, TenTen-chan. And what about Neji-kun? Didn't he treat _you_ like dirt all the time?"

The bitterness in Sakura's voice could have brought death to everyone in the room. Her eyes were narrowed and they bore into TenTen's skin like knives. TenTen looked as if she had regretted saying anything at all. She continued throwing darts at the dartboard with a sour look placed upon her features.

Sakura's sudden outburst of hatred toward everything brought a sudden stillness in the room. It wasn't until there was a soft knocking at the door did everyone get up and go about their own business again. The pink haired girl hesitated before answering it. She was afraid of seeing Sasuke standing out in the hallway again, but something told her that it wasn't he who was standing on the other side of the door.

She unlocked the door slowly, and the person on the other side jerked it open hastily. A bubbly voice answered Sakura's sudden gasp. Tears erupted from her eyes and Naruto looked at her confused.

"Sakura-chan! It's me!"

All that came from her mouth was a sob and he hugged her tightly.

"Aww…what did that mean jerk do to you this time?"

If everyone in the room had known that Sakura was crying over the loss of her boyfriend, they could have sworn that she and Naruto were an item. She was crying on his shoulder sadly and he was stroking her hair comfortingly. The picture had resembled what had happened with Sasuke just moments ago. Everyone knew that Naruto would kill to be with Sakura, if the chance was ever presented to him. But, Sakura had been too preoccupied with Sasuke to even notice them in their previous highschool years.

"H-he di-didn't do a-anyth-thing…"

Sakura was obviously lying, and Naruto obviously knew.

"Oh come on! I know that he must've done something!"

As their conversation dragged on, Sakura's friends gradually decided to leave the two alone. They slowly trickled out of the apartment while Naruto took over what they had started. He finished up making the tea and the food as Sakura lay down on the couch, trying to distract herself with something. Eventually, she fell asleep as the darkness from the window consumed the room…

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

"Wh-where am I?"

Sakura awoke the next day from a bright light shining in her face. It took her a while to notice that she was lying in her own bed and a few trickles of sunlight were peeking in through her closed curtains. She got up from bed and made her way to the living room. As she entered, she saw Naruto's sleeping figure on the couch. Beside him was the bouquet of flowers sitting neatly in a vase on a table.

She neared the flowers, desiring to sample their scent just a bit. But, as she leaned down to take a closer look at them, she finally noticed a piece of paper wedged in between the petals of one of the orchids. With extreme caution, she picked out the odd-looking flower and felt its texture. It seemed to be made out of…plastic?

Her excitement began to build as she gently took out the piece of paper. Sakura unfolded it, expecting to see some kind of romantic message. Instead though, she saw an address scribbled on it in what seemed to be Sasuke's writing. It was only until she saw the word 'America' within the address did she finally figure it out. It was an address of where Sasuke was going to.

"Thank you so much!"

For the first time after he visited her, she finally felt happy. She rushed into her room and pulled out a large suitcase. All articles of importance were placed neatly into the bag as Sakura started singing joyfully.

Her loud voice had finally awoken Naruto, and he stood at the entrance of her door, leaning on the frame of it.

"Where you headed to, Sakura-chan?"

His voice hadn't startled her at all, and she grinned widely while replying with a,

"I'm going to go see Sasuke-kun!"


	7. Chapter 7

_ShinhaDojinshi Presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu x saku fic**_

_Her excitement began to build as she gently took out the piece of paper. Sakura unfolded it, expecting to see some kind of romantic message. Instead though, she saw an address scribbled on it in what seemed to be Sasuke's writing. It was only until she saw the word 'America' within the address did she finally figure it out. It was an address of where Sasuke was going to._

"_Thank you so much!"_

_For the first time after he visited her, she finally felt happy. She rushed into her room and pulled out a large suitcase. All articles of importance were placed neatly into the bag as Sakura started singing joyfully._

_Her loud voice had finally awoken Naruto, and he stood at the entrance of her door, leaning on the frame of it._

"_Where you headed to, Sakura-chan?"_

_His voice hadn't startled her at all, and she grinned widely while replying with a,_

"_I'm going to go see Sasuke-kun!"_

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

"Whoa, whoa WHOA!"

Naruto hastily stopped leaning on the frame of the door and grabbed Sakura's wrists.

"Where did you say you were going, Sakura-chan?"

She giggled as she ruffled his hair playfully.

"To America, silly!"

Naruto's heart sank to a new level, and in his mind he felt way worse, _'She doesn't want to stay here with me…?'_

"But why?"

Sakura looked at Naruto as if he were the dumbest person in the world. Even though she was completely oblivious to the fact that Naruto _could_ have liked her still, she knew that Naruto wouldn't let her go so easily.

"Well, I want to see him! And I know he wants to see me too…I mean, why would he leave his address and everything?"

She held up the piece of paper with Sasuke's writing on it. Naruto snatched it out of her hand and resisted the temptation to rip it up into tiny pieces.

"Baka Sasuke-teme," Naruto mumbled under his breathe as he examined the paper more seriously.

He looked into Sakura's eyes and saw that she was smiling more happily than ever. Her gaze fell upon Naruto's fist, which was shaking uneasily. A feeling of anger was depicted on his usually happy face.

"N-Naruto-kun?"

He shot a glare at the picture left on her bedside table of her and Sasuke.

"I'm coming with you Sakura-chan!"

Sakura was fully taken aback. The last thing she needed was for someone to stall her trip, but she thought of the option of him coming along over and over in her head.

"I guess you could wait for me he-"

"No! I _am_ coming!"

He furrowed his brow and she raised an eyebrow up at him. Her curiosity got the better of her and she began to question him.

"But why?"

Naruto gulped and said, "B-because…I-I…"

She encouraged him to continue, but no thoughts came to his mind.

"…because…"

He searched his thoughts more and more as his panic level increased tremendously.

"You're worried about me, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

Sakura clutched Naruto's hand and patted it gently. A grin was pasted on her delicate features.

"I get it Naruto-kun!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, but decided to play along.

"…you do?"

She smiled genuinely and nodded.

"You're just worried that something bad will happen to me. You're so sweet!"

She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. Naruto turned beet red as he raised his hand to gingerly touch the spot in which Sakura's gentle lips had actually touched him.

Although he was trying to cherish the moment, she released his hand and began stuffing her bag with certain items again. But she paused when she saw that Naruto was still looking at her confused as if he were asking 'can I still come'? She just smiled up at him.

"What're you waiting for, Naruto-kun? Why don't you get packed?"

"I'm not thinking about that! It's just…why are you in such a hurry?"

Sakura sat on her bed and motioned for Naruto to come and sit beside her.

"What are you trying to say?"

Naruto closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I'm trying to say that you're totally rushing into this. There's plenty of time until they get married!"

He had decided to try and buy enough time to get Sakura's mind off of Sasuke. Maybe if he could try and get her to like him, it'd stop all her moping.

"Hm…you're right," Sakura stood up confidently as she spoke, "but-"

"But nothing!"

Naruto sat her down again and held onto her hand. Sakura didn't seem to be phased by it, so he went onward.

"You're going to have to make up some kind of plan before you just run around wild, Sakura-chan. What will you do when you get there? Actually, HOW will you get there?"

Sakura tried to answer any one of those questions, but failed to. When she gave up, Naruto smiled with satisfaction.

"Let's take it one day at a time! It's not like they're getting married in a week!"

His statement filled Sakura with horror.

"Oh gosh! What if they do?"

She jumped up and struggled to pack again. It was only until Naruto finally convinced her that they wouldn't did she calm down.

"Heh…I was only kidding Sakura-chan! Sasuke wouldn't do that to you."

"Baka! Don't do that to me again!"

Sakura pouted and swatted at him violently. It automatically brought her back to when they were sixteen. They had been extremely friendly with each other since they met on her first day at their highschool, but what was this unsettling feeling that she was experiencing now? Happiness? Joy? Or could it even be love?

She looked up at Naruto's grinning face, and for the first time, she noticed how innocent he looked. She even admitted that he was exceptional in the looks department. How long would this feeling last though?

Sakura shook it off and began to put her clothes and other items back in their proper places. When she had finished, she turned to Naruto, asking for the piece of paper back.

"Naruto-kun! You still have the address, ne?"

"Huh? Yeah…"

He took it out of his pocket to show her. But when she tried to retrieve it from him, he drew his hand back. She sighed, thinking that it was another one of his childish games.

"This isn't the time to be fooling around, Naruto-kun. Give it back."

Naruto ignored her request and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Who said I was playing games?"

"Naruto-kun! Give it back!"

She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"I'm not giving you this address. When I feel like it's a good time for you to leave, I'll return it."

Sakura pouted and gave him her puppy dog eyes.

"But you said that you were going to come with me anyway…"

Her eyes watered and he sighed. His expression became a playful one as he ruffled her hair. She swatted his hand away and she smiled back at him.

"Come and get it Sakura-chan!"

He waved the slip of paper in her face and ran as she attempted to steal it back. She chased him into the living room where he started throwing pillows at her.

"Naruto-kun! Stop it!"

Naruto continued throwing pillows as she advanced on him.

"You stupid jerk!"

Sakura couldn't deny it anymore. She was actually having fun with someone else who _wasn't_ Sasuke. Heck, Sasuke wasn't even the most fun person to be with at any time. He was only competitive, and that didn't serve as any kind of entertainment for her. Even though she_ did_ love him and he loved her back, the excitement of being around him slowly diminished over the years. It kind of made her wonder why she hadn't gone out with Naruto before. Or were there any real reason why? It just seemed like when Sasuke was there, he overshadowed Naruto; and now that he was gone, Sakura finally saw Naruto in a new light.

Before she could lay a hand on him, he gently tackled her onto the ground. He grinned while Sakura lay there helplessly. Both her hands were pinned down and he had a tight grip on her wrists. She laughed as he smiled down on her.

"Get off me Naruto-kun, you baka."

"Make me!"

Naruto's breath tickled her neck and she immediately tried to struggle out of his stranglehold on her.

'_Sakura…you have a boyfriend…_' the thought kept on ringing in her mind, _'Stupid Naruto-kun…what are you trying to do…?'_

"Naruto-kun. Get off."

Her playfulness wasn't present in her voice and he was fully aware that she was being serious. But instead of listening to her orders, he slowly leaned down toward her…with an intention of kissing her for the first time in his whole life.

But, Sakura began to get frustrated. She struggled more with her hands as he inched towards her lips, probably not noticing the fact that she was struggling against him. Sakura looked up with horror at his dazed expression. His eyes were glazed and she opened her mouth to scream.

"Naruto-kun! Get off of me NOW!"

Her left hand finally came free from his grasp and her palm came in contact with the side of his face. Naruto hurriedly moved away from her, finally aware of what he was doing. He touched the side of his face with caution and felt the stinging from the slight injury. She sat up and moved toward him.

"Oh, I'm sorry Naruto-kun! I just panicked and-and-"

He smiled at her and he began to feel guilty for what he had tried to do to Sakura, fully knowing that she was romantically involved with someone else.

"Heh, it's fine Sakura-chan! It was just natural for you to do that."

Naruto scratched the back of his head shyly and she got up from where she sat on the floor.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

Sakura grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"To go get some ice. Come here with me for a sec?"

He obeyed and tagged along behind her with his hand still covering his red cheek. She laughed as she poked it before handing him the ice. He winced as he gingerly placed it on his cheek.

"The ice will help ease the pain a bit…I hope. Just leave it there for a while, okay?"

Naruto nodded and she walked into the kitchen to peer into the fridge for any food. She shifted some of the half-empty containers filled with leftovers around before noticing that there was barely anything to eat at all.

"Naruto-kun! Do you want something to eat?"

"There's nothing _to_ eat, Sakura-chan. I threw away the food I made yesterday since you didn't want it."

'_Stupid idea…'_ Sakura thought.

Then, Naruto smiled as an idea struck him.

"Well then, would you like to go out for some food? It's my treat!"

Sakura sighed and gave him a mere, "Sure."

Naruto's grinned sheepishly.

"Then it's a date!"


	8. Chapter 8

_ShinhaDojinshi Presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu x saku fic**_

"_Naruto-kun! Do you want something to eat?"_

"_There's nothing to eat, Sakura-chan. I threw away the food I made yesterday since you didn't want it."_

'_Stupid idea…' Sakura thought._

_Then, Naruto smiled as an idea struck him._

"_Well then, would you like to go out for some food? It's my treat!"_

_Sakura sighed and gave him a mere, "Sure."_

_Naruto's grinned sheepishly._

"_Then it's a date!"_

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

"That was fun!"

Sakura pushed open the door to her apartment and threw her keys onto the side table.

"I know eh? Who knew that I could cook my _own_ food?"

Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders and half-guided her to the living room where they sat down.

They had gone to a restaurant where Naruto had the pleasure of cooking something besides ramen. Surprisingly, he wasn't_ so_ terrible at it. In fact, Sakura asked him to make more and more servings for her. Surprising, isn't it?

He glanced over at her sitting on the couch. She had gotten comfortable as she folded her legs underneath herself and was starting what looked like a really thick book. He sighed as he sat beside her and closed his eyes. It seemed as if everything about Haruno Sakura was mesmerizing. Her scent, the color of her hair, the way she smiled at him…

Naruto took in a whiff of her scent as he silently dozed off, unaware that he had snuggled up to her with his head lying in the crook of her neck. For some odd reason, she had felt as if Sasuke was there sleeping beside her like he used to before he had moved away. Sakura sighed.

"…Sasuke-kun…do you miss me where you are…?"

Her head hung low as she shut the thick book and started to relax.

'_I don't know why I keep on thinking back to when we were going out…'_

Sakura leaned back in her chair and looked over at the sleeping Naruto.

'_Why do I miss you so much…? I actually thought Naruto was you for a second…'_

She tried to shake off the drowsiness that she was now experiencing. Sakura then laid her head against the seat and drifted slowly into a deep sleep.

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

For some odd reason, Sakura was dreaming about when she had gone out on a date with Sasuke when she had just turned seventeen. Both were seated under a sakura tree and were pleasantly enjoying each other's company. Sasuke sat atop one of the branches, being his usual stoic self, and Sakura was sitting neatly underneath a nimble branch of the tree.

It was indefinitely springtime since the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Of course, Sakura appreciated all the time they spent together, but what about her other half? He didn't always act like he actually enjoyed spending time with her. In fact, it seemed as if he was beginning to get annoyed of her.

She gazed longingly at other couples walking around, wishing to have what they already possessed. Some were holding hands and blushing madly as awkwardness filled the air. Others were bunched together, watching an incoming sunset on the other side of the lonely hill.

Even though Sakura didn't know it, Sasuke was watching her every move. The way her hair swayed in the blowing wind and the way her gleeful smiled had transformed into a small frown when she saw other couples emerging from different places. He sighed as he jumped down from the branch and sat next to her.

"What's wrong, Sakura-koi? It's your seventeenth birthday."

She didn't seem startled by his sudden appearance beside her, but she shivered as an incoming breeze wound its way through her hair.

"N-nothing."

She shivered relentlessly as the setting sun began to sweep over their heads. He stripped off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders, trying not to disrupt the flow of things. But instead, she stared at him, wondering why he had done such a thing.

"You looked cold, Sakura-koi."

He got up and dusted himself off as he started walking toward a secluded spot with a direct view of the sunset. He expected her to follow after him, but turned around once he saw that she wasn't at his heels. Sasuke saw her looking up at him puzzled and he grinned.

"You look so cute when you're acting stupid."

His grin deepened as he offered his hand to her. She placed her hand in his as he hoisted her up.

"Where are we going…?"

He held onto her hand as he dragged her toward the sunset, trying to ignore the other couples who were staring up at them.

"We're going to go get a better look of the sunset."

Sakura's puzzled expression brought her to the conclusion that Sasuke was becoming delusional.

'_Why's he acting so nice all of a sudden?'_

And as if he read her thoughts, he said, "I'm not _acting_ nice, Sakura-koi. For your information, I'm _being_ nice."

He stopped at a spot where the sun was casting a reddish glow everywhere. They both sat down and she smiled at the scene before her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Sasuke lazily placed his arm around her as she set her head on his shoulder.

He chuckled at her naiveté.

"There are more beautiful things in the world besides a sunset, you know?"

She laughed, thinking that he was talking about himself.

"You are so self-"

"…like Haruno Sakura. The most beautiful young lady that I ever set my cold eyes on."

Sakura blushed as Sasuke eyes focused on her while he watched her every move. To be honest, Sakura always hated when Sasuke poked fun at her. She playfully punched him on the arm.

"I told you not to make fun of me Sasuke-koi!"

Sasuke's gaze fell back to the cascading sunset before them as he tried to hide the red tint rising to his cheeks.

"Like I said, Haruno Sakura. You_ are_ the most beautiful person in the world. Well from what I know…and I don't know much because-"

Sasuke could've gone on and on with his mindless rambling, but he was caught off guard as she stealthily leaned over and kissed him. The shock wore off after a couple of seconds and he kissed her back, blushing the whole time. As she let go of it, she smiled.

"You look cute when you're acting stupid, Uchiha Sasuke."

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

Sakura awoke in the back seat of a car, leaning against none other than Naruto.

He had a stern look on his face and he didn't bother to look up at her when her emerald eyes fluttered open. They were obviously in a cab on a street loaded with cars and she looked at the blonde sitting beside her.

"Where are we, Naruto-kun?"

"We're in a cab."

His voice lacked the same cheeriness that it once possessed.

She sat up, the drowsiness still clouding her thoughts.

"Where are we headed to?"

"To the airport. Where else?"

Sakura gasped as she checked her watch.

"Naruto-kun! Are you crazy! It's ten at night!"

His head hung low as the shadows crept over his face. He frowned slightly as he spoke.

"Do you know that you talk in your sleep?"

Suddenly, Sakura put all the pieces together. She blushed when she remembered that she was dreaming about her and Sasuke on their date.

"Ano…so what of it?"

His eyes rested on her and his gaze formed into a glare.

"You just don't get it, do you?"

She glared back while thinking that he was complaining about something stupid that she didn't even know she did.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that I _love_ you Haruno Sakura. _I. love. you_!"

He gritted his teeth as he tried to sustain the embarrassment. Sakura giggled as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Naruto-kun…" she paused as she selected her words carefully, "I love you too…but as an older brother. You're always looking out for me and you always take care of me whenever I don't."

She smiled warmly at him, but it didn't seem to faze him. She latched onto his arm and started laughing.

"Don't be like this Naruto-kun."

Sakura paused to see his reaction, but smiled yet again to try and get some sort of laugh out of him.

"I mean, if Sasuke-kun didn't get to me first. Maybe…just _maybe_ I would've gone out with you."

Upon saying this, Naruto finally blushed as he looked into her green eyes.

"Thanks, Sakura-chan."

He held onto her hand as she sighed. She didn't seem to mind, so they both remained that way on their way to the airport. But, something occurred to Sakura as the roaring of the airplane engines grew louder.

"Ano…one more thing, Naruto-kun. How are we going to get on the plane?"

She looked around at the empty seat of the cab.

"…and where's our stuff?"

Naruto just grinned.

"Our stuff's in the back all packed in suitcases, _and_…I know someone who can get us in without even hassling us!"

Sakura relaxed in her seat, feeling a bit relieved that they weren't going to America with just the clothing on their backs.

"You shouldn't underestimate me, Sakura-chan! I'm the craftiest person ever!"

She smiled as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I owe you a lot, Naruto-kun. Thank you, nii-chan."

Naruto smiled as she squeezed his hand.

"You're welcome…" Naruto sighed.

'…_Sakura-koi…'_


	9. Chapter 9

_ShinhaDojinshi Presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu x saku fic**_

_Sakura relaxed in her seat, feeling a bit relieved that they weren't going to America with just the clothing on their backs._

"_You shouldn't underestimate me, Sakura-chan! I'm the craftiest person ever!"_

_She smiled as she kissed him on the cheek._

"_I owe you a lot, Naruto-kun. Thank you, nii-chan."_

_Naruto smiled as she squeezed his hand._

"_You're welcome…" Naruto sighed._

'…_Sakura-koi…'_

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

"But Tsunade-san! You just have to let us through!"

Sakura looked up at the flight attendant, who was her former teacher back in Hong Kong, who was guarding the door before them. Her stern face showed little or no sympathy for Sakura. She was on the floor begging for her and Naruto to get on the plane without anyone noticing. But, Naruto's 'ultimate plan' wasn't doing any good.

"I said no, Sakura! Now get up off the floor! You're embarrassing me!"

Tsunade shot a glare at everyone who was passing by. A sharp, "What are you looking at?" came from her mouth.

"Onegai, Tsunade-san! Please!"

She pulled at Tsunade's skirt as she continued to plead on the floor. Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to handle their luggage. There was just too much baggage for him to carry all by himself and he was barely dragging all their belongings along.

"Tsunade-sama," Naruto began, "I promise not to bother you ever again if you let us through!"

He leaned nonchalantly on one of the large luggage bags as Tsunade gave him a warm smile. She folded her arms as if to provoke the blonde-haired boy further. She raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"You promise?"

Naruto nodded his head with determination embedded in his sincere voice.

"I promise on my very soul, Tsunade-san!"

Tsunade closed her eyes as her arms automatically folded at her chest. Her brows furrowed as if to consult her conscience on what she should do. Sakura held her breath as her former sensei tried to decide on what to do.

Her train of thought seemed to proceed well into five minutes of much-needed time, but Sakura refused to back down. She would wait forever if she could get another chance to gaze upon Sasuke's cocky grin and obsidian eyes.

Sakura sighed at the very thought of meeting up with him again. What would she say? What would _he_ say? She began thinking it over as the possibilities presented themselves as endless.

Finally, Tsunade opened her eyes to look over at the two determined teenagers in front of her.

"…Kids…" she mumbled to herself as she shook her head frustrated. She opened the door toward the airplane so they could board it.

"Just don't get me in trouble! Two seats are open in first class, alright? They're headed directly to America with no stops in between," Tsunade hissed at both of them impatiently waiting for them to get inside.

Naruto's eyes gleamed with pride at her as he grabbed her into a tight bear-hug.

"Thanks baa-san! I owe you so much!"

He picked up their luggage and sped toward the doorway without any hesitation. Sakura sighed as she checked her watch consciously. She had all the time in the world to see Sasuke and she felt as if time were standing still for her.

She paused before entering the winding hallway to the plane door. She turned to Tsunade and bowed deeply, "Arigatou gozaimasu, Tsunade-sama. I hope that this isn't the last time that we cross paths again."

Sakura smiled warmly at her former sensei before tagging along after Naruto. Tsunade grinned as she replied with a, "Hopefully Naruto-baka won't be with you the next time we meet, Sakura."

Her grin was returned with a wide smile from Sakura as she bid farewell to their 'rescuer' and boarded the plane.

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"Oi! Throw a bag of peanuts over her, Miss!"

Naruto waved his hands in the air, attempting to grab the attention of one of the female flight attendants. He, however, didn't realize how much of a fool he was making himself look.

"Ay-yah, Naruto-kun! Stop waving your arms about!" Sakura hissed into his ear.

He gazed at her with his innocent blue eyes and raised an eyebrow.

"Neh, why not?"

All Sakura could do was shrug it off and let the poor boy do whatever he wanted.

As Naruto continued to wave his arms about like an idiot, Sakura gazed out at the window longingly. A vivid image of a raven haired, fair faced boy recreated itself in her mind, and all she could do was release a soft sigh at the very thought of him.

Oh how she wished she could see him one more time. To touch his soft, raven locks and gaze into those mesmerizing eyes of his. She could go on and on about him for hours! But of course, her mission wouldn't allow her to just walk right up to him and start claiming him as hers. She needed some kind of scheme to get Sasuke's affection back into her range.

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An impatient raven haired teenager started drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair as he gazed out of the window in a daze. How did he ever escape her wrath? How would he ever tell Sakura what happened?

A single sound escaped his lips as his thoughts paced around in his head. "Sakura…"

Oh how her name still sounded like sweet music to him when it rolled off of his tongue.

"…if only if I could get to you sooner…" his voice trailed off into a silent whisper as he tried not to disturb the already grumpy passenger seated beside him. He had already asked Sasuke to shut up about five times already as he cursed and shook his fist at the benign raven haired boy.

Suddenly, a feminine voice sounded over the intercom to signal the plane's almost immediate landing. Sasuke's heart skipped a beat or two as he checked his reflection in a pocket mirror that was protruding from the other passenger's pocket.

His hair was disheveled and he had a look of exhaustion lingering in his eyes, but other than that, he still found himself recognizable. Without a doubt in his mind, he knew that Sakura would still be there waiting for him. If only he knew what to say to her once he got there.

Sasuke eagerly played over what he was going to say to her over and over in his head, but the last part never came out quite right. _'Um…Sakura? My foster father that adopted me died in some kind of car accident and left me my inheritance…I want to spend the rest of my life with you!'_

Sasuke mentally slapped himself as he slumped back in his seat. How could someone with so much class and such a calm demeanor be inflicted with some kind of speech impediment? He sighed as he blew stray strands of his raven hair from his face and glanced out the window once again. The airport seemed to be fast approaching and he was still having some kind of debate in his head of what he was going to say to his awaiting 'damsel in distress'.

He placed his head in his hands with the afterthought of defeat remaining.

"There's so much I want to tell you…" Sasuke muttered under his breath.

His face scrunched up into a look of disgust as he clenched his fist tightly.

'_There's just so much that I _have_ to tell you…'_

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"We will be landing shortly. Please remain in your seats."

Sakura grinned at the sleeping figure leaning against her arm.

"Did you hear that Naruto-kun? We're landing soon!" Sakura failed to contain the excitement in her voice as she shook Naruto's shoulder feverishly.

"Naruto-kun! Wake up!"

She shook his shoulder more violently and he finally stirred.

"Neh…what is it Sakura-chan?" He yawned and sat up in his chair as he rubbed his eyes groggily.

Sakura hit him on the arm playfully as her grin broadened further.

"We're almost there! We should be landing in ten minutes!"

Naruto sighed as he leaned on the arm of his chair impatiently. A look of pure boredom was placed on his childish face as he replied, "You woke me up to tell me that? I could've figured that out myself!"

He scoffed at her as she bopped him on the head.

"I'm just a bit excited. That's all."

She glanced at the incoming ground beneath the plane as she sighed once again. Sakura just couldn't wait to lay her eyes on the perfect face of the one and only Uchiha Sasuke.

"Uh…Sakura-chan?" Naruto's brows furrowed as he dared to ask her a question that was forever on his mind. But he doubted if she was going to answer it or not.

Her head jerked in his direction as she nodded.

"Hm? What is it?"

He hesitated a bit to think over how he was going to ask her.

"…What will you do if Sasuke-teme doesn't…" He paused to look up at her concerned face. It was almost as if she knew what he was going to ask her, but she didn't think of it as a plausible option yet.

"If he doesn't _what_?"

Sakura's gaze intensified as if she were daring him to even finish his question.

Her glaring must've struck some fear into him since he thought better of it and reclined back into his chair.

"Er…nevermind. I forget."

Naruto turned away to avoid Sakura's cold eyes and swift mood change. He slumped back into his chair.

'_Women are scary…'_ he thought as he shuddered violently.


	10. Chapter 10

_Shinha Dojinshi Presents_

**Maybe 1st place wasn't a bad idea…**

_**A Sasu x saku fic**_

"…_What will you do if Sasuke-teme doesn't…" He paused to look up at her concerned face. It was almost as if she knew what he was going to ask her, but she didn't think of it as a plausible option yet._

"_If he doesn't what?"_

_Sakura's gaze intensified as if she were daring him to even finish his question._

_Her glaring must've struck some fear into him since he thought better of it and reclined back into his chair._

"_Er…nevermind. I forget."_

_Naruto turned away to avoid Sakura's cold eyes and swift mood change. He slumped back into his chair._

'_Women are scary…' he thought as he shuddered violently._

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"Sasuke-koi!"

Anko's sickening voice could be heard echoing off the walls of her large manor. She skipped around gleefully as she kept her eyes open for her husband-to-be. A look of concern soon developed on her striking features as she discovered that Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

"Sa-Sasuke-koi…?"

She peered through ever door and twilit window trying to find a trace of him. A feeling of deep panic welled up inside of her as she covered more area of her mansion.

Anko began running at a breakneck speed once she was definitely sure that the Uchiha was no longer wandering any of the winding halls of the house. It was only until she finally retreated to her room did the explanation for Sasuke's absence hit her. He had revealed a vital piece of information to her during dinner that night…

**F L A S H B A C K**

_Sasuke and Anko were seated at opposite sides of an old-fashioned dining table that was laden with numerous delicacies. Several candles were lit that emitted a bright light that illuminated the dank, dark, old-fashioned dining hall._

_Anko looked up from her plate to vaguely peer at the Uchiha sitting across from her. Her eyes darted from his luscious raven locks to his deep obsidian eyes. Anko sighed as she took in the rather handsome features of the younger boy in front of her._

"_Oh Sasuke-koi," she sighed, "you are the yummiest boy ever!"_

_She clutched at his leg under the table and squeezed his knee seductively. Unfortunately, Sasuke took it the wrong way and jumped as her hand suddenly climbed further up his leg._

"_Dammit, woman!"  
_

_He spat at her as he sat up from the table and headed toward the nearest door. A look of pure hatred was arranged on his face as he started to storm away._

"_Oh, Sasuke-koi!"_

_Although the determined woman knew that he was extremely pissed off at her, she followed suit behind him, occasionally stepping on his heels annoyingly._

_It was only when they were nearing the main door did she finally realize that he was about to leave._

"_Huh? Where are you going, my love?"_

_Anko looked up at his already pissed-off face and clutched onto his arm territorially. This only angered the Uchiha boy more as she swatted her away angrily._

"…_I'm going to go book seats on an incoming flight."_

_Automatically, Anko had misinterpreted his sudden longing to travel somewhere distant as something sincere of him. It took her a while before she thought up some absurd excuse. She grinned as he slipped his shoes on and opened the door._

"_Oh! I get it! You're going to book a trip for our honeymoon, right!"_

_A look of delight was on her face as her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. All Sasuke did was sigh as he paused before answering._

"…_uh. Yeah. I am."_

_He turned around to look at the reaction of the girl in front of him. She gasped and clapped her hands gleefully. _

"_Bye, boo! I'll see you later! How's about you give me a goodbye kiss?"_

_Anko steadily advanced closer towards Sasuke's face; aiming directly for his lips. Her shoulders tensed up as she neared him slowly. Before she even got close enough to personally disturb his own personal space, he held up his hand and pushed her face further away from his. He looked at her annoyed and said flatly,_

"_I'd rather not."_

_He turned around without another word and began walking down the long, winding road leading to the estate's gates with Anko looking on after him._

"_I'll see you later, Sasuke-koi!"_

_Unfortunately, that was the last time she had ever spoken to him…_

**E N D O F F L A S H B A C K**

"Ugh! The nerve of that conniving little boy!"

She stood up from her sitting position on her bed and sped across the hall to his former room. Tears streaked her hot cheeks as her make-up began to run and stain her pale face.

When she slid open the old fashioned shoji door, she expected to see Sasuke's things spread out all over the room like they usually were, but instead, everything was in an organized manner and there was not one single trace of any of his possessions. She threw open the closet door and furiously pulled open all the drawers. But, no matter how many drawers she pulled open, she never found an article of clothing; and, in a fit of anger, she took a pocket knife and sliced one of the tatami mats down the middle, thinking that he might be hiding something underneath it.

But as she pried at the tatami mat and started ripping pieces and pieces of it off the floor, she had not taken notice of black ink on the opposite side of the tatami. It took her a while to figure out that the tatami had been streaked with ink on the other side.

This time, she carefully pried the tatami mat from the floor and flipped it over. She gasped as she saw something sprawled in a small corner on the back of it. A tear slid down her cheek as she continually read the message over and over,

"_Anko-san,_

_I'd like to thank you for your hospitality. As you've probably heard, my stepfather is dead and since it was his part of his plan for us to be wed, I think it best that we just forget the whole ordeal now that he's deceased. May you have luck with finding another husband._

_-Uchiha Sasuke"_

Anko's sobs could be heard echoing through the whole estate as she slunk back against the wall and hugged her knees in anguish.

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"So, Naruto-kun, where do you want to head to first? Anko's house or a hotel?"

Sakura looked over at Naruto questioningly as he picked up their bags from the conveyer belt. He licked his lips as a thought of where to go came to mind.

"What about a ramen stand, Sakura-chan? I'm dying to eat something."

She bopped him on the head and grinned as he rubbed the back of his head where her fist came in contact with his noggin.

"Hey! What was th-"

"Look. I don't think that there are any ramen vendors scattered all over the place like in Japan. We're in America now, dummy!"

Sakura glanced around curiously as they proceeded with exiting the airport. It seemed as if it would take forever before they would figure out exactly where they were going. But her panic seemed to subside when they neared the exit of the airport, but Naruto held onto her arm to stop her as she was about to push open the glass doors. Sakura turned to him curiously.

"Huh? What is it Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's eyes were fixed on a woman at the front desk with his mouth wide open.

"Sh-she!"

Sakura's brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the few words sloppily falling out of his mouth.

"She's what, Naruto-kun?"

She tapped her foot impatiently as Naruto started to stare at the woman relentlessly. When she had finally had enough of Naruto ogling this strange woman, she raised a hand and struck the side of his face with her hand. It didn't seem to affect him as he finally opened his mouth to speak.

"She! She's a BABE!"

"What…?"

Sakura stared at Naruto in disbelief as he continued to grasp her arm firmly and gape at this 'babe' of a woman at the front desk. Suddenly, she turned around and her sheet of beautiful dark hair whipped around to reveal a woman with striking features. Although her face was beautiful, it held a look of sadness and contempt.

"Ack! She's looking in our direction!"

Naruto reacted in the best way he could think of – he pulled Sakura towards him and caught her lips in a tender kiss. Naruto slowly wrapped his arms around her waist as Sakura stood there in complete shock.

When they finally parted, the woman was gone and Naruto was ready to reach in to steal another kiss when Sakura stopped him halfway.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

He nuzzled her neck affectionately as he held her tightly.

"What is it, Sakura?"

Naruto started planting tender kisses on her collarbone as she stood frozen on the spot. She glanced around anxiously as people started glancing in their direction and staring at them oddly.

"N-Naruto-kun…?"

He ignored her words and continued the lip service on her neck as she gradually regained all common sense.

She pushed him off and ran her palm across his cheek. He stood there stunned as he gingerly brought a hand to his face as he recoiled. Her fist was raised for another strike as she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him toward her. Their noses were centimetres away as she glared at him through her emerald green eyes.

"Look, Naruto-kun. I didn't ask you to come with me, so you might as well leave."

It seemed as if Naruto had finally come to his senses. He blushed profusely as he put his hand on Sakura's and carefully got her to unlatch her balled up fist from his shirt. He hung his head in shame as he held onto her hand.

"N-ne…gomen nasai, Sakura-chan. That was really stupid of me…"

Naruto's brow furrowed as his blue eyes quickly brought them up to look at her directly in the eye. As he spoke, his voice was filled with guilt and hurt as he tried to get her to forgive him.

"I know that your heart already belongs to someone else. I was just being…"

"Stupid?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him as she yanked her hand away. He slowly turned around and walked down the path that they had just come from as she shoved the glass doors open and stormed through the vicinity, leaving any thoughts of Naruto behind.

_0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o_

As she sped through the winding streets of New Jersey, she felt a soft patter of rain fall onto the crown of her head. She sighed as she decided to trek on through the packed streets.

"Stupid rain…"

She tried to forget that the luggage was left behind with Naruto; and after what she said, she doubted that he would give it back so freely.

'_He'd probably want to have sex with me just to get back my luggage,'_ she thought sarcastically.

Sakura had all the right reasons to be mad with the blonde haired boy. Why had he just attacked her out of nowhere? She knew that he was forever jealous of Sasuke for beating him to the punch when they were younger, but did he really have to act so irrationally?

She sat down under a small awning as the rain started to come down in larger droplets. She stared out at the people who passed her by without a second glance or look of concern.

"Sasuke-koi…where are you?" she whispered under her breath. But her question fell upon deaf ears.

Suddenly, a weird notion struck her. Why had she even come here on a whim just to see him?

'_No…no. I don't regret coming here at all!"_ she tried to tell herself. But instead of believing it, she found herself trying to _convince_ herself to believe it.

'_Oh gosh Sakura…you're falling apart!'_

She suddenly realized how cold and hungry she was as she sat on the cold pavement beneath her. But as she sat there, her mind was definitely elsewhere. As her mind ceased to co-operate with her heart, she abruptly came to the conclusion that she was lost and that she had no money at all without her luggage.

The next thing she did was break down and cried. It took her a while to finally realize that she was completely alone in a country that she had basically entered illegally. She hugged her knees pensively as she felt another batch of hot tears well up in her eyes.

'_What the heck am I doing here? I could be at home trying to get over him…'_ she began thinking as she held her face in her hands and sobbed quietly. Her pink hair fell over her face to shield all people from view as they just continued to pass her by. It seemed as if no one would pay her any attention as she continued sitting on the damp pavement as the rainwater soaked her to her very core. Sakura could no longer tell the difference between the cruelty of the rain falling from the sky and her very own tears. Her eyes turned blurry yet again as she looked up at a hand that had been shoved in front of her face. She stared up at the owner of the hand in disbelief.

"Having a horrible day, are we?"


End file.
